Cleaning Tips For Toilet Training Accidents

Potty training your child presents a range of frustrations. It can take time to help your little one have success on the toilet. One of the many obstacles you'll have to face is the inevitable series of accidents that occur as your child learns to use the toilet. It's essential to avoid making your child feel bad for having an accident. Keeping the materials you need to clean up on hand makes it easier to simply get past the accident and move on to toilet training success.

Carpet and Upholstery

Whether your little one is rushing to the bathroom, but doesn't quite make it, or he's going without a diaper and has an accident on the couch, cleaning up the mess prevents the transmission of germs and odors. For urine, first use a cloth to soak up the wetness. For feces, use toilet paper or a paper towel to pick up the mess and throw it in the trash or flush it down the toilet. Once you soak up the initial wetness and/or remove the feces, to remove the stain from your carpeting, the Good Housekeeping website recommends combining hand soap with vinegar and warm water. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent and vinegar solution. Repeat until the stain disappears. Once the stain is gone, sponge the area with cold water and blot dry. For upholstery, mix hand soap and cool water. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution. Repeat until the stain disappears. Once the stain is gone, sponge the area with cold water and blot dry. In both cases, if the stain doesn't disappear, use an eye dropper to apply hydrogen peroxide -- and then apply a drop or two of ammonia.

Floors

If you have floors covered with a material other than carpet, the cleaning method is different. If your little one urinates on a wood, tile, linoleum or vinyl floor, use paper towels to soak up the wetness. For feces, use toilet paper to pick it up and move it to the garbage can or toilet. Use disinfecting wipes to wipe the area, which kill germs and remove the odor from the floor. Clean your floor as you normally would, ensuring that the cleaning solution you use on the floor is approved for your flooring type to prevent damage.

Clothing

Washing urine or feces from your child's clothing after a potty accident kills germs and removes stains from the fabric so he can wear them again. Expect to do more laundry while you're potty training. If the accident consists of only urine, toss the soiled clothing into the washing machine without any preparation. For feces, it's vital to remove as much of the mess as you can before laundering it. Swish soiled underwear or pants in the toilet to remove feces from the fabric. Soak feces-soiled clothing in warm or hot water with a laundry product containing enzymes. According to the Good Housekeeping website, you should then launder the clothing using chlorine bleach, if it's safe for the fabric, or oxygen bleach.

Skin

Removing urine and feces from your child's skin prevents the spread of germs and reduces the chance that he'll have a skin reaction. Use baby wipes to clean the affected area. Make sure to clean off all traces of feces and dispose of the wipes. Have your child wash his hands with warm water and hand soap for at least 20 seconds. Once he's done, wash your own hands as well, making sure to include under your fingernails. Finally, help your child get into clean clothes and move on with your day.